I recently wrote an opinion piece on "Cleveland's Place in the Cancer Moonshot" that was published in the Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com.
While I hope you will read the piece in its entirety, I want to call your attention to one particular section:
"The moonshot can also help us in the cancer community do a better job of communicating with one another and sharing information. News reports indicate that after a recent meeting with almost 200 oncologists and cancer scientists, Biden's staff was dismayed by what it saw as turf wars and lack of cooperation. Claiming the bully pulpit, the vice president wrote on Twitter that when it comes to cancer, the American people should "[d]emand collaboration from the scientific community." More of this type of advocacy is needed, including tying increased funding to increased collaboration.
Here is where Cleveland can serve as a national example. As director of the National Cancer Institute-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, I lead a group of 365 experts who span 32 departments of the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Engineering, Applied Social Sciences, and the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, and MetroHealth Medical Center. We regularly prove that institutional affiliation and disciplinary specialization need not represent barriers to progress, but rather can be sources of illumination that produce good results. We know our cancer center is at the top of the pack - the National Cancer Institute has told us so."
What makes our Center so unique is that we DO work together, and we DO try to remove barriers to cures. It is not always easy to do, but I believe everyone at our Center works hard every day to collaborate for the common good.
I hope you will read the piece, share it, and discuss it with your friends and colleagues. I'd appreciate feedback and comments, not only on this much talked about idea of a "cancer moonshot," but also on how we can build upon our existing collaborative efforts.